What Are Electronic Cigarettes?

Everywhere you turn, one cannot help but see people lighting up a cigarette. It’s simply unavoidable in today’s culture. Despite Surgeon General Warnings on packs, school programs designed to stop kids from ever smoking, and uncountable medical studies that serve as evidence to the unhealthy, even fatal ramifications to smoking, it continues to be endemic in our society. In recent years, however, electronic cigarettes have been slowly carving a comfortable niche in the smoking market. However, what are electronic cigarettes?

Electronic cigarettes are small, usually rechargeable, battery-operated vapor inhalers that include a replaceable insert which contain varying amounts of nicotine and can optionally come in a variety of flavors. They do not actually contain any tobacco, and do not burn. Visually, they can range from nearly identical to a traditional cigarette to varying colors, patterns, and LED options that clearly mark them as electronic. Electronic cigarettes tend to cost about the same as the more popular brands of cigarettes, though certainly the price can vary as with any product. These “e-cigarettes” are most commonly used by smokers who are trying to quit, those who cannot smoke normal cigarettes in certain places they frequently go, those who feel that e-cigarettes are simply a healthier or more considerate option, or those who have broken the chemical addiction to cigarettes but not the physical habit of smoking.

Smokers who opt for electronic cigarettes to aid in the cessation of their smoking habit usually do so because they can control the dosage of nicotine without altering their smoking patterns. Instead of having to change how many times they smoke, they can instead change how much nicotine they receive. This “no-effort” method gives the smoker the illusion of doing nothing different, but in reality they have started down the road of quitting, a very alluring scenario to many smokers. They can continually decrease the dosage of nicotine until they no longer require a cigarette, electronic or traditional, and have successfully stopped smoking entirely. Many users that are thinking about trying an E-cigarette can purchase beginner starter kits for a fairly cheap price. If you buy through a big brand like Green Smoke or V2 Cigs. Make sure you look for a coupon so you can get a free discount and get your kit for half the price. Just search online for a Green Smoke ecig coupon or V2 cigs coupon code and you’ll find a coupon no problem.

Electronic cigarettes are also used by the more courteous smokers who have no desire to quit, but cannot or will not smoke in certain locations. While this usually means at work or in public places, such as restaurants or stores, it can also mean at home if there is a compelling reason not to smoke there, such as children or pets, other family members with allergies, or simply anyone who dislikes the smell of smoke in their home. E-cigarettes are often considered as a preferable alternative to having to stand outside, an option that does not even always exist. Many localities are passing or have already passed legislation that makes it illegal to smoke outside of one’s own home or car.

Some of the more courteous electronic cigarette users believe that e-cigarettes are healthier than traditional cigarettes for themselves and for others around them. Electronic cigarettes do not have the other additives that regular cigarettes do, such as tar, nor do they release toxic substances into the air, such as cyanide or carbon monoxide, so they are safer for others in proximity to the user. Additionally, because electronic cigarettes do not burn these chemicals, they will not leave a discoloring residue on everything they are near, such as walls, photographs, and furniture, nor will they stain teeth or fingers, or prematurely age the face and skin of smokers and those routinely near smokers. They do not yet have the full, unreserved approval of many health organizations, though, simply because not enough properly documented, unbiased medical trials have been conducted.

Adjusting physical habits can be just as hard if not harder than breaking chemical addiction. There are those smokers who no longer require the nicotine of cigarettes, but who cannot give up their habit of smoking. These smokers often explain that they need something to do with their hands, a concept known as muscle memory. Much like Pavlov’s dogs, these smokers associate their cigarettes as part of certain activities, such as eating food. The desire to smoke is much stronger during these associated activities, and it is these activities that will cause those trying to quit to end up lighting up a cigarette. The e-cigarette option gives these smokers the illusion of smoking, which satisfies their muscle memory while avoiding the unhealthy aspects of smoking. Since many electronic cigarettes have “empty” insert options that have no nicotine, using the electronic version can be no different from breathing on a humid day.

While clearly, the decision to start smoking in the first place is a poor one that many smokers regret making, at least electronic cigarettes can now offer an option that can help those wiser smokers reduce or even eliminate their need for traditional cigarettes. In a world increasingly concerned with the public health, electronic cigarettes are a rising trend to stop smoking.